Evo 8 - Considering buying one! PLEASE HELP :)

[agouti]

Hi all,

As the title suggests I'm looking to buy an Evo 8 to replace my current car which is a 2004 Celica T-Sport. Not too fussed about which model variation but open to advice in this area. Absolutely love Evo's and always wanted one, I have a few questions so I'm hoping I could get a bit of advice from you guys please?

Ok so:

* RELIABILITY I have a few concerns regarding the reliability of them (some people say they go wrong a lot),should I be? what's your experience with this, are there any models/ages that I should stay away from?

* SECURITY The car would need to be parked on the street outside my house (I don't have a drive/garage),I'm a little anxious about this as I imagine these are No.1 on a steal list! Have any of you had any issues in this area, thefts or attempted etc...? Are they fairly secure?

* RUNNING COSTS Are they ridiculously expensive to run!? I see that some variants (registered within particular dates, 2005 i think) have the lower tax band (K) instead of (M) which is nearly half the price (£250 instead of £400+). Not fussed about petrol costs as I do v.little mileage in a year but more interested in servicing, repair and insurance costs.

Think that's all, any advice for any part would be very much appreciated.

Cheers

 

[stuarttyres]

evo 8

hi mate ive got an 8 fq330.they are bomb proof these cars as long as they are well looked after!!!my m8 has had his for 4 years now and not a days trouble but he has had it serviced every 4500 miles.the only thing that does tend to be a pain is clutches wich you will need often if your gna be takin off from da light like a bat out of hell!!!security wise i find that they are secure as most with mine having alarm,immobiliser and tracker fitted!running costs are not bad service should cost £120-£150 every 4500 but if you get one that needs a cambelt service then your looking at £500ish to get a full service.dont know how much insurance is as its on my dads trade policy so ud av to get a quote before you buy and they might as for a tracker to be fitted depending on who you go with.so basically fantastic car just buy one that has had a clutch and doesnt need a 40k service if you want to keep cost down.in my eyes dont go for the 260gsr or the mr400 260 is a waste of time in my eyes and the 400's are mega expensive but thats just my opinion.good luck mate

 

[agouti]

Hi Stuarttyres,

Many thanks for your response, would like to see what others on here think also. To be fair I don't do many miles, I generally do around 4,500 a year anyway (I have to travel via transport to work so my car is just an evening and weekend plaything!)

So just a yearly service should in theory do me fine then in my case? Nice to hear that you've had no issues with your one, I've mostly been looking at the ones which are at least 300bhp anyway (including your 330 one). The increase will be immense going from a 190bhp Celica!

So full service including cambelt change is at 40,000 miles, any other milestones to look out for? I must say £500 for a service sounds horribly expensive, is that purely because of the cambelt change cost?

Cheers,

Agouti

 

[stuarttyres]

yes 1 service a year will do you mate if your only doing 4500 a year.that is dirt cheap cos you get the cambelt and balance belt changed,oil and filter changed,ayc fluid changed,gearbox oil changed,transfer box oil changed,brake fluid changed plus a full check of your car so all that for 500 is cheap mate.make sure whatever car you buy has got full service history!!

 

[agouti]

Cheers for the advice

Yeah I suppose as I only do little mileage then its not so bad for me! wonder what the insurance costs will be like though from currently group 15 all the way to 20! haha!

 

[nitro_uk]

Costs of running it are high. Petrol is super unleaded and you can reach 20mpg on a good day. Servicing is a b*tch at every 4.5k or 6 months, whichever comes first. Also, expect to fork out a lot of money if things go wrong with the car.

Finally, if the above hasnt put you off from buying an evo already then im afraid to say; leaving your car on a public street is asking for trouble! If it doesnt get scratched or keyed by the local youths then it will end up being stolen. It needs to be garaged or at a minimum, on a private driveway.

If you can live with all the above then you really are in for a treat. The evo is brilliant, it makes me so happy!!

 

[nitro_uk]

Just to add to the above on security. You will have a hard time finding an insurer if the car is kept on the road. Many companies also require the car to have an approved tracker fitted if you want insurance!

 

[ElDopesta]

Welcome to the Forum Agouti!

I would have to say that both members have valid points respectively but hey, if you want an Evo then you want an Evo. It is a far better car than any Celica that is for sure.

There are not any turbo cars that have no problems at all. The Evo's are great and in my opinion, easier to maintain than any of their rivals.

As for parking on the street, on my road there have been Skyline's, Supra's, MR2 GT-S's, Scoobies, the odd Porsche and many many Evo's......every Evo but the X (they have all been owned by me at some point!!!!!) and I have never had any problems at all.

If you will be driving very little mileage then I suggest that you go get one as soon as possible but do make sure you check it out thoroughly or you will be in for a nightmare.

El

 

[rich_f]

hi mate

i got 8 gsr and i think its the best thing since sliced bread lol

i got the car with a few little problems but after a bit of tinkering she's fine and had no problems since.

alos look on the bright side if anything does go wrong there are a lot of people hear that know there stuff your be in gd hands

 

[ron23]

welcome dude...got an evo 8 for 2 yrs now....never had a problem at all...every 4500miles all fluids should be changed,and every 45 to 50thou miles,cambelts needs replacing as well...
my principle in owning an evo is very simple, if you look after your car,he will look after you!

 

[fq-craigus]

welcome dude...got an evo 8 for 2 yrs now....never had a problem at all...every 4500miles all fluids should be changed,and every 45 to 50thou miles,cambelts needs replacing as well...
my principle in owning an evo is very simple, if you look after your car,he will look after you!

I would have hoped he has one by now mate as the post is two years old

 

[ron23]

thanks craig...it shows I'm really getting old now!!!
really need to catch up with you lot...

 

[fq-craigus]

Lol no probs mate